The decline of traditional media: How podcasts helped Trump secure victory
Social media content creators and podcasts specifically appear to have been the key – as both President Trump and Kamala Harris campaigns used the podcast space to reach out to their prospective voters to try and garner some extra votes.
Influence
So, it’s safe to say that this election was a very different one, with interesting strategies from both camps.
85% negative coverage for Trump vs 78% positive coverage for Harris in the American Mainstream media like ABC, CNN, MSNBC, New York time, Times Magazine, Washington Post etc and yet Trump prevailed over Harris. This is the proof that podcasts and content creators are far more influential than traditional media whose ratings as well a trusted source status has been on a massive decline for decades now!
It’s reported that President Trump’s 18-year-old son played a crucial role in organising his 78-year-old fathers many appearances on various podcast shows across the US, all in a bid to appeal to a generation and demographic that lives, breathes and eats podcasts!
An appearance on Joe Rogan’s – The Joe Rogan experience during his campaign trail saw 50 million viewers tune in to listen to President Trump, while 14 million were tuned into Theo Von’s This past weekend with Theo Von and another popular podcast Flagrant
had 5 million views.
Direct axis
Some reports have indicated that President Trumps visit to these popular podcasts contributed to his win as the 47thPresident of the USA - but in the same breath the reports say this did not necessarily decide the election.
Billionaire and Tesla boss - Elon Musk – who is remaining very close to Trump - believes the podcast appearances made a huge difference at the polls.
Podcast and social media content creators offer brands and marketers direct access to audiences without bias or political narrative of large media and news organisations.
And this is exactly why I use a lot of content creators for my own clients in the Tourism space and particularly for luxury holiday destinations.
About Rush Bhana
South African-born Rush Bhana is a Global Marketer who is now rooted in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. He is an accomplished Entrepreneur and Global Account Director with over 13 years of experience specializing in tech, destination, sports, and entertainment brands.
